Chapter 23 Chapter 23 4.2 % 9 When we return back to the ranch , we have more things than I probably should have brought , but all things considered , everything seems excruciatingly important . Maria set up another room for the kids and me just down the hall from Knightly's . It's smaller and a whole lot better than the monstrosity that is Knight's room. " These dresses are the cutest . Did you make these ? " Tessa asks . " Mommy makes all our clothes , " Ayrie says proudly " That must be so cool , " she tickles her . The two of them seem to be close now . Aizen is with Grandpa Shark riding horses . He can't get enough of them . As soon as his eyes landed on us , he went off on how cool they were , and when Freddy asked if he wanted to take a ride , he almost got teary - eyed . " What's this ? " Maria reaches for one of my trunks . " That one stays shut , " I slam it closed when she tries to open it . " I'm sorry , " " It's okay . What's in there ? " she grins . " It's a surprise , " I glance over at Ayrie who is showing Tessa her princess costumes . I brought her a few in case she has her little diva moments . " Oh , " she nods understanding . " I'm sorry . " " No , I can't wait to see it , " she waves me off . " So , " she pushes the clothes to fit more . " Ayrie brought something up to my attention , " " Oh , no , " I say turning to face her . " It's nothing bad . I promise , " she grins . " She mentioned that you were looking for the perfect est Beach House that is way better than Barbie's , " " Oh , " I nod , Got dammit , she never stops talking . " Yeah , I did promise her that I would start looking . " I nod . " I have a Beach House that is a million times better than Barbie's and it has a private beach , " she throws in casually . " No one uses it and it's in our territory so it would be mega safe . The packhouse is not a place to be raising pups . Not until they're old enough to be able to control the shift . It would be private and all yours . " I get the feeling that you're excruciatingly independent and very private . I've tried to pull some dirt on you and nothing comes up , " we both laugh . " So , if you give me a couple of months to have it cleaned out and repaired , it would make me very happy if you would accept this gift for my Grandkids , " " Um , " I try to find a million reasons to say no . " Think about it . It's a four - bedroom . Family room , kitchen , dining room , and there's a study that I'm sure your work at home would be more than perfect for , " she lifts one of Ayrie's weekend dresses . " No pressure . Just throwing it out there . This place can be a lot sometimes , " " I'll think about it , " I nod . " Good , " she lets out a sigh of relief . Her eyes search my face for a moment and I can see the gears turning in there . She is a crazy cool mom to be this supportive of her son . I forget that this is what it's supposed to look like . It's more than obvious that she thinks I'm a threat to her son the same way I think they're a threat to us , but she's on his side . " You can ask me whatever you want , " I find myself saying . 1/3 Chapter 23 " Are you involved with anyone ? " is the first thing that comes out of her mouth . I almost laugh in her face . Of course , that's what she wants to know . " No , " I press my lips together . " My boss has tried to set me up several times , but I don't know . I love my work and when I'm not working , I'm with the twins . I didn't have a mom growing up and it's taken me a long time to figure out what it is I'm supposed to be doing . It doesn't leave much room for dumb stuff like dating , " " May I ask what happened to your mother ? " " The story is that she got sick when I was two . But my dad is mated to a werejaguar and she hates me . So , " I shrug . " Jaguars are vicious . I see why you didn't freak out the way I thought you were . We're not as bad as those things . Bears are the worst ," +15 ) " I am freaking out . I just - I'm trying my best to keep it together for them . They've never seen something scary before and I'm- " I swallow the knot in my throat . " I don't want them to be tainted by that so young ," " I understand , " she rubs my arm . She's very handsy . So is Tessa . It has to be a werewolf thing . " Well , I am not the best Mom in the world . Not like you , but if you ever need anyone to talk to . I'm your girl , " she does a little dance . " I'm very jealous , " " Of me ? " " Yeah , I don't mean it in a bad way . The twins talk about you like you're their best friend . My kids try to avoid me for the most part . Even when they were little . They were very independent and I see the way they are with you and I don't know . It feels like maybe I was doing something wrong ," " I'm very flattered . Honestly , I think they're like that because I work a lot so when I'm with them I like to make the most of our time . And the people around us are always praising me and telling them how special their Mom is . I think that has a big role . " Also , you raised wolves . I'm not an expert , but that can't be easy . I have two little brothers and they're vicious little assholes . Just like their Mom . If I ever want to see my dad , it has to be in a public area away from them . So , I think the circumstances are different . Given how successful all your kids are , 1 think you did amazing , " " Thank you , " she grins . " And yeah . Shifters are all little assholes growing up . Knight is my firstborn . I was about your age now when he was born and I thought I was at the top of the world . My ex - husband was taking territories and if you ever meet him , you'll see how charming and charismatic he is . They say that psychopaths are like that . " Before him , I was also on my own . My pack was lost to a stronger alpha . My family was gone and I chose to remain a rogue . Arnold caught me trespassing on his territory and he liked that I had a mouth on me and that I killed a couple of his guys trying to escape , " She said that so fucking casual . Like it was no big deal . He loved that I killed a couple of his guys . No biggie . I've got a lot more in the back . What the fuck ? What have I gotten myself into ? They make it sound like being a shifter is very common . Aren't they supposed to be hiding or something ? " At the time , I didn't know he had killed his mate . I didn't like asking unpleasant questions for fear of others asking me the same . He thought I was a good match to give him an heir . He was beautiful and rich . I had nothing so , it wasn't much of a burden . He didn't ask much of me and I got to do whatever I wanted . " When Knightly started shifting , he would take him . He said it was for training and it was , but what I didn't know was that Arnold was conditioning my son to be like him . He was ten when I took him and ran . He had tortured my son for three whole years and I couldn't take it anymore . " I should have left sooner , " her eyes fill with tears . " I came here with some gypsy rogues and one of them sold me out . The night I found my mate , I was seconds away from being ripped to shreds by my son on his father's command , " " Maria ," I place my hand on hers . What the fuck did you just say ? He made him do that ? To a little ten - year - old ? " It took a lot to tame the beast he turned Knight into . I thought that Freddy was going to send him away because of how bad things were . He was so patient with him . I am very thankful for that . But there's still something very broken inside my son . I imagine that it was the reason why he walked away from you without telling anyone . " You can't imagine the agony he must have / suffered in that choice and I know he had your best interest at heart . I need you to understand the position you are in now . Arnold is one of the most powerful and influential alphas in the world and Knight stands to inherit that . So , when the world finds out who you are and that your babies are my son's . Everything is going to change for all of us , " 2/3 16.43 FB , 9 May Chapter 24